Page 116 of My Temptation

“Talking about personal shit.” He snorted. “I’m trying to think about what my dad would say because he is good at this, but I’m coming up blank. All I know is that if you don’t talk to her, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”

“That’s what you don’t understand, Brody.” I gestured toward her building. “I can go in there and talk to her, but it won’t change anything. Neither of us is willing to change our mind, and I can’t seem to just move on.”

Brody exhaled heavily. “Went through the same damn shit with Gia. I never expected her. Met in Vegas, and I wasn’t in a good place. Just got home from the military and was dealing with fucking nightmares. I was at Jax’s bachelor party, trying to disappear, and then I saw her sitting at a bar all by herself. Something about her drew me in. We had what was supposed to be a one-night stand, and she stuck to that. I left Vegas angry that she snuck out before we could talk the next day. That anger never left me. I carried it like a fucking shield, and nothing anyone said helped.” He paused and ran his hand over his neck again. “God, I was such a pain in the ass to everyone. What I didn’t admit was that I was angry with myself for not doing anything, not saying anything to stop her from leaving that room. I could have, but I didn’t, and I turned that regret into anger.”

I looked toward her building, and the anger I’d been carrying turned to sadness. “I’m in love with her.” Shaking my head, I continued. “Been in love with her since I met her. Never thought it could become anything, though. But then she came clean, and I realized it could.”

“That conversation happen in the bar?” he asked.

I snapped my head in his direction. “How do you know that?”

He sighed. “The director sat down with me and Jax. Told us there were cameras everywhere in that bar except the back room. He had a video he didn’t think our team would want put into evidence, so he gave it to us.”

I closed my eyes and ran my hand over my forehead. “You watch it?”

“Watched the beginning,” Brody said. “As soon as we realized what was going on, we understood why the director brought it to us, and we destroyed it.”

“Thank god.” I exhaled in relief. “Did you tell Mila?”

“No.” He frowned. “Wasn’t planning on telling you either. Didn’t think you needed to know a private moment was recorded.”

“Then why are you?”

“Because I think it might help you to understand Mila a little more.” When I jerked up my chin, he continued talking. “Before Mila worked the undercover case with Nick, she was sent on a few trial runs.”

“What does that mean?”

“Means the FBI wanted her to get her feet wet, so she did some surveillance and a few smaller undercover cases. Nothing like the case with Nick, but they still took her out of town, and she spent a lot of overnights with male agents. During the final trial, the FBI specifically chose an agent she’d gotten close to in order to test their resolve.”

“And?”

“And according to the director, Mila never crossed the line, and she never allowed their relationship to be more than what the case entailed.”

“Is this part of the normal training for agents?”

Brody’s jaw hardened. “I asked the director the same question, and he said it wasn’t. This was something her father put into place when she joined the team. When he proposed it, he said it was to ensure the team could be successful without becoming distracted because they had a big case coming up that they were considering Mila and her partner for. That’s not why he did it. He wanted to prove she couldn’t handle it. He was trying to break her, but he failed. I have no idea if she knew they were testing her, but she proved herself to the director during that time, and her father’s plan backfired.”

“Is that why they want her back?”

“That’s exactly why they want her back. Her entire focus is on the job. Nothing breaks that.” Brody studied me carefully. “But that focus broke with you. You were both in a vulnerable position that night in the bar. She knew that, but it didn’t stop her. She would never allow that if she didn’t have feelings for you.”

“That doesn’t change where we are now, Brody.”

“No, it doesn’t. But you need to understand she’s spent her entire adult life trying to prove herself. In her mind, especially after what happened with Striker when she first started, she’s still trying to prove herself. She’s not afraid of a relationship with you, she’s afraid the rest of us will see her as the weak link.” He reached out and wrapped his hand around my shoulder. “Her father referred to her as the weak link, the most likely to break. That shit would stay with anyone. The only way she knows how to protect herself is to hide behind the facade she built.”

“What a piece of shit.”

“Yeah, he is, and I’m happy she chose to leave the FBI and get away from him.” He squeezed my shoulder before dropping his hand. “Do you want her?”

“Yeah,” I answered without any hesitation.

“Then go get her.” He jerked his head in the direction of the building.

I stared at the building through the windshield. “I think it might be too late.”

“Maybe,” he agreed. “But you’ll never know until you walk your ass up to her door. Don’t let this be a regret in your life.” When I looked back at him, he lifted an eyebrow. “Trust me. That kind of regret has the ability to change you.”

He was right.

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